EFCA failed to move through the 110th Congress, due to a Republican filibuster. But the 2008 landslide provided Democrats with the fabled "filibuster-proof" 60-seat majority, and hopes for the bill's passage skyrocketed. Of course, the "filibuster-proof" majority proved anything but, as Al Franken was denied his seat for months by Norm Coleman's endless recounts, and as a handful of Blue Dog Democrats–most notably, Blanche Lincoln–openly flirted with breaking party ranks to join a Republican filibuster. Harry Reid never scheduled a vote on the legislation, and the White House engaged in no public arm-twisting to convince the recalcitrant Blue Dogs to vote for cloture. Regardless of the motivations of the Democratic leadership in the Senate and the White House, the ultimate fate of EFCA was a silent death. It was taken off life support by the election of Speaker John Boehner, but hope for its passage had evaporated months before.
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